Molded lace shoe



June l2, 1956 J. D. SCALA 2,749,629

MOLDED LACE SHOE Filed March 22, 1955 wmm"` """""l;%////////////////////////////l 1N VEN TOR. JOSEPH SCALA United StatesPatent O 2,749,629 MOLDED LACE SHOE Joseph D. Scala, Bronx, N. Y.Application March 22, 1955, Serial No. 495,909

1 Claim. (Cl. 36-58.5)

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in shoes and, moreparticularly, to improved adjustable quarter shoes.

Shoes of the moccasin type are known which include a lace threadedthrough suitable openings adjacent the upper edge of the soft, flexiblequarter for the purpose of tightening the quarter about the heel andankle of the wearer. The lace is also threaded through suitable openingsin the toe piece of the moccasin adjacent the throat to facilitateadjustment and knotting of the lace.

The principal object of the invention is to apply a quarter adjustinglace to a shoe having a relatively inflexible premolded quarter, therebyto adjust the quarter to the wearers requirements.

According to one embodiment of the invention the premolded quarter of ashoe is provided with a laceway at its upper edge to house an adjustinglace. At the throat of the shoe the lace passes out of the laceway andthrough openings in the vamp of the shoe which are located insubstantial front-to-rear alignment with the side portions of thequarter and the laceway therein. Pulling on the ends of the lace in arearward direction, using the openings in the vamp as pulleys, pulls therear portion of the quarter against the wearers heel.

In a second embodiment of the invention a second pair of openings areprovided in the vamp at substantial angles from front-to-rear linesextended through the points at which the lace exits from the laceway atthe throat. Pulling on the ends of the lace in a substantially rearwarddirection, using the second pair of openings as pulleys, not only pullsthe rear portion of the quarter against the wearers heel but also pullsthe side portions of the quarter against the wearers ankle. Either pairof vamp openings can be used as desired.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is an isometric View of a shoe constructed in accordance wtih afirst form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the shoe of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional View on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional View on line 5--5 of Fig.3.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a shoe constructed in accordance with a modiedform of the invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the mode of operation of themeans of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1-5 there is illustrated a shoe comprising aone-piece outer sole and heel 10, a premolded relatively inliexiblequarter 11 and a vamp 12. Preferably the quarter and the vamp arecemented to outer sole 10. An inner sole 13 may also be cemented inplace. A heel liner 14 is secured to quarter 11 by stitching 15. Quarter11 and vamp 12 are secured together at the throat of the shoe bystitching 16. The upper edge of quarter 11 is folded over and secured bystitching 17 to form a tubular compartment providing a laceway 18.

As best shown in Fig. 2 the side portions of the laceway 18 extendvalong substantially front-to-rear lines but gradually flare outwardlyand forwardly. At the rearward extremities of the ared portions ofquarter 11, the inner wall of the laceway 18 is provided with openingsin which grommets 20 or the like are mounted. A shoelace.- 21Y or thelike located in laceway 18 extends `out of the latter through thegrommets 20.

Forward of the throat of the shoe and in front-to-rear alignment withthe grommets 20 the vamp 12 is provided with openings in which grommets22 are mounted. As shown, the ends of lace 21 also pass through thegrommets.

The construction is such that pulling rearwardly on the ends of lace 21,using the grommets 22 as pulleys, exerts a forward pressure on therearward portion of the quarter 11 tending to draw the latter snuglyagainst the users heel. Knotting of the ends of the lace will maintainthis pressure. The substantially front-to-rear alignment of each grommet22 with the related grommet 20 and the related laceway side portionresults in little, if any, compression of the side portions of thequarter 11 toward one another.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7 wherein like parts are given the samereference numerals as in other views, there is disclosed a modified formof the invention having the same features as the means of Figs. l-5, andthe additional feature that the side portions of the quarter of the shoecan be compressed inwardly against the wearers ankle if desired. Asshown, the shoe constructed in accordance with the modification of theinvention includes a second pair of openings in the vamp 12 providedwith grommets 23. These grommets 23 are located rearwardly and inwardlyof the grommets 22 so that to extend the ends of the lace through themrather than through the grommets 22 the lace projects from the grommets20 at substantial converging angles with respect to the front-torearlines extending through the grommets 20 and 22.

The construction is such that, as shown in Fig. 8, pulling rearwardly onthe ends of lace 21, using grommets 22 as pulleys exerts a forwardmovement of the rearward loop of the lace as at 25. Substantially nocompression of the side portions of the lace toward one another isexperienced. However, when the grommets 23 are used as pulleys and theends of lace 21 pulled rearwardly the side portions of the lace aremoved toward one another as at 26, while the rear loop of the lace ismoved forward. Translated into terms of the shoe of Fig. 6, use of thegrommets 22 effects a tightening of the rear portion of the quarter 11against the wearers heel. Use of the grommets 23, however, effects thissame tightening against the heel and also a compression of the sideportions of the quarter against the wearers ankle.

It is to be mentioned that the natural stiffness of the vamp 12bolstered by abutment thereof with the wearers instep effectivelyprevents objectionable curling of the vamp when the ends of the lace 21are knotted between the grommets 22 or 23.

With this arrangement the shoe may be conveniently tightened when theleather gives or stretches in order to tighten the shoe and thereforethe shoe will have the best possible fit at all times during the life ofthe shoe.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein discl'osedlandx that various changes andmodications may be made-withinl the-scope ofthe invention as definedinthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new; and desiretosecure by United States Letters Patent-is:

Ar shoe including' a relatively inflexible quarter having an integrallace-receiving tubular compartment alongf its upper edge, a vamp securedtothe quarterat the throat of the shoe, a shoelace loosely housed insaid compartment, apair of grommets extending i'ntov said' compartmentadjacent the forward` ends thereof and adjacent the throat of the shoe,a pair of grommets extendingl through the vamp, each of'said-lattergrommets being in substantiallfront-to-rearalignment with ay first saidgrommet, and a. thirdl pair of grommets located between and to the rearofthe secondV pair of grommets andv forwardly and offset laterally fromthe first pair of grommets and extending through the vamp, the ends oftheY lace being passable through the second or third pair of grommets,the side portions of the-quarter being inf substantiallyfront to-rearalignment each with aligned grommets of the first and second pairs,whereby a rearward pull on the ends of the lace using the second pair ofgrommets as pulleys exerts substantially only a forward pull on the rearportion of the quarter against the wearers heel whereas a similar pullon the ends of the lace using thev third pair of grommets as pulleysalso effects. compression. of the side portions of the quarter againstthe Wearers ankle.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS897,287 Hearn- Sept. 1, 1908 1,145,913 Maetrich July 13, 1915 2,232,215Cordeau Feb. 18, 1941 2,301,836 Wilcox Nov. l0, 1942 2,627,677 KashianFeb; 10 11953

